"Ship of Fools"
is a rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 song performed by World Party

World Party

World Party is a British pop/alternative rock band, which is essentially the solo project of its sole member, Karl Wallinger. He started the band in 1986 in London after leaving The Waterboys.-Career:...

. It was written and produced by singer and multi-instrumentalist Karl Wallinger

Karl Wallinger

Karl Edmond De Vere Wallinger is a Welsh musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for leading the band World Party and for his mid-1980s stint in The Waterboys...

, formerly of The Waterboys

The Waterboys

The Waterboys are a band formed in 1983 by Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland and England. Edinburgh, London, Dublin, Spiddal, New York, and Findhorn have all served as homes for the group. The band has played in a...

. Wallinger is the sole member of World Party.

"Ship of Fools" was the first single released by World Party and was included on the 1986 debut album Private Revolution

Private Revolution

Private Revolution is the 1986 debut album by the British rock band World Party. At this point, singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Karl Wallinger was the only member of World Party, and the only person pictured on the cover....

. It was World Party's sole Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

Top 40 single, debuting on that chart on April 4, 1987 and peaking at number 27. It also reached no. 42 on the UK singles chart
and no. 5 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

The song has also been included on over a dozen compilations, including Greenpeace

Greenpeace

Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...

's Rainbow Warriors compilation.